I read both this book and its companion novella The Alchemist side by side (almost) because they follow two different paths that give a wider view of the world. The Executioness follows Tana as she leaves Lesser Khaim (the more or less 'poor folk' district) while The Alchemist follows Jeoz as he fights to save Khaim from the Bramble.

In his introduction Paolo mentions that part of the genesis for this combined world came from a writer's friend's lament that there were not more middle-aged women portrayed as heroes. Women who have had children and lived most of their life domestically. Tobias took that idea and ran with it.

Tobias is careful to emphasize the role that women have always played in battle and war. Women who help to keep the soldiers fed, who help to gather supplies and run the homestead while their men are away. Women who lose everything and are forgotten just as quietly.

The world is lush and evocative. There is a lot left unsaid, hinted at or offhandedly remarked upon, that point to something more. The fallen Empire of Jhandparan being overrun by the Brambles. The Southern Isles where the Paikan hail from.

I would love to know when the Brambles first arrived. Why they occur because of the magic. Why does it sprout? The Executioness doesn't delve into these issues except as a way to contrast the Paikan (holier than thou) attitude vs. everyone else. The Paikan think they are on a crusade to save the world, damn the consequences and feelings of others.

A telling moment is when Tana speaks with the 'leader' and they try to reach some sort of accommodation. The man doesn't seem to grasp why she would be so upset to lose her children when they are clearly going somewhere better. To him the loss of her children is trivial next to the larger picture.

Everything happens in cycles however and at the end of the novella Tana realizes a truth she didn't understand earlier. I sincerely hope there will be more set in this world. This feels like a thread from a much larger tapestry, one I am eager to see completed. ( )

This novella takes place in a world where the use of magic has had dire consequences. Whenever someone uses magic, a deadly, unstoppable, invincible plant called the bramble feeds off the magic and begins to grow. Not only is bramble taking over the world, but it is also deadly. The plants are covered with sticky filaments that contain a deadly venom that is absorbed into the skin when touched. The poison quickly results in a coma that often leads to death. Since there is no way to stop the bramble once it takes hold, magic has been outlawed with the penalty of death, but still the bramble spreads as people secretly do little magics for what they consider very good reasons (such as healing a dying child). A nearby city has a culture that has never used magic since it is against their religious beliefs. When the bramble starts to grown in their city, they decide that it is their moral duty to wipe out those that use magic and force them to covert to their religion.

Tana lives with her father, husband, and two young children. Her father is one of of the villages executioners, but he is suffering from a debilitating illness that has him confined to a bed. Her husband is a drunk that spends most of his time passed out in the front yard. When the bell summoning her father to an execution rings, she has no choice but to answer it herself since the family depends on the additional income from executions to survive. However, before she can return home, raiders from the neighboring city attack and slaughter everyone that they find, except the children who they kidnap since they are young enough to convert to their religion. Faced with the destruction of her home and her family, Tana sets off on a journey to try to find her children.

I really liked this book. It has a strong female protagonist who finds herself becoming a legend, much to her dismay. Along the way, she empowers other women she meets and they use society's tendency to discount women to achieve their goals. Although she becomes the leader of a movement, her motivation was never to change the world, rather it was to save her children and prevent anyone else from suffering the way she had suffered. I liked that, although the culture of the neighboring city was violent and merciless, the reader is made to understand that their motivation is one of saving the world, even if you abhor their methods. Although this is a fantasy world, reading it had me pondering a lot of issues going on in our world today. I definitely recommend this short book. ( )

After Tana's father and husband are killed and her children taken by raiders, she goes on a one-woman mission to regain the remnants of her family. Her courage and will inspire others, and soon she comes to the attention of an army commander. He tells her that they have to wait the raiders out, but Tana is impatient. She raises an army of women, armed with peasant weapons (and the occasional arquebus), and they march on the raiders' city.

I really wish this had been twice as long, because there's so much material here that I wish could have been expanded upon, or presented with more subtlety. Even in a bare-bones style like this, it's a good, engaging story, especially with Buckell's trademark of excellent action scenes.

My one quibble with this book is actually with the illustration. The original inspiration for this book was Maureen McHugh's mention of the lack of middle-aged female protagonists, and Buckell spends a good number of pages emphasizing that she's older and has more than her fair share of scars and muscle. She spends the entire book chopping soldiers apart with her axe. And yet. All of the illustrations portray a woman with slender, unmarked twigs for arms and an unlined face. Art fail. ( )

A worthy companion to Bacigalupi's The Alchemist and taking place in the same world. Buckell, too, raises some important moral questions as a logical outgrowth of the story. When do you sacrifice personal relationships to the greater good? What if the people you are fighting really make sense? And, of course (considering the title), under what circumstances is killing permitted? I'll read more Buckell. ( )

This book feels like an introduction to something. The ending leaves many open points. Also, the whole concept of the bramble is dealt with in a way similar to how it was in the alchemist.

This book managed to capture similar my interest in the first half and gave me a chance to try out my skimming techniques in the second half. The story goes on a complete tangent in the second half when suddenly we are introduced to more characters. She's one on whom greatness is thrust.

The whole story feels complete in some ways so it's not that bad either. It's just not from a fantasy genre, it's more fiction than fantasy. ( )